RACQ CareFlight Rescue choppers wow crowds at Riverfire

Spectators lined the banks of the Brisbane River, and every possible vantage point, watching in awe as the ‘big birds’, two Bell 412 helicopters, flew in formation and then hovered at both ends of the river.

“We had the doors open and when we waved it was like the whole crowd responded, with literally thousands of waving hands” Toowoomba based CareFlight Aircrewman Leigh Aynsley said.

This was the first time that RACQ CareFlight Rescue has been in the Riverfire spectacular with helicopters from both the Gold Coast and Toowoomba bases involved.

“We’ve been part of the community for more than three decades, treating and transferring 40,000 patients in that time,” CEO Ashley van de Velde said.

“This was our way of saying thank you to the community for its support through donations over the years.